Search - Mad River :: Paradise Bar & Grill

Unheard of gem

Stephen F Mulcahy | United States | 03/20/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"a wonderful improvement on their 1st lp, which is also good. i'd give this 4.5 stars, to their earlier quite bizarre and sometimes discordant psychedelic material( reminiscent of country joe and the fish, the youngbloods, and quicksilver) , which is still evident in tunes such as academy cemetary, they add a heavy dose of 'americana ' reminiscent of creedence, the band, etc. the title track is an absolute country rock gem with incredible lyrics. also of note is ' they brought sadness',revolution's in my pockets, cherokee queen, and just about everything else. the band featured two fine vocalists in guitarist lawrence hammond and drummer greg dewey. the band veers from off kilter almost deranged bluegrass stuff to gentle, understated country ballads, with doses of angular acid rock guitar thrown in for good measure and parts that are kind of jazzy but not quite. mad river were/are very obscure compared to other bay area aggregations,but their lyrics are as imaginative as any of them. fans of the dead circa workingman's and american beauty should enjoy this thoughtful and impressive disc, as should haight ashbury enthusiasts and fans of 60s early 70s rock both their lps are recommended as is the berkeley eps , shared with country joe and the fish, and the fine s.f. 60s bands frumious bandersnatch and notes from the underground..."

A sensual flashback of my youth

Knud Borum | Seaborg,Copenhagen 07:12 a.m. | 05/04/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This times music speaks louder than words. I've been searching for this album for years. Net-trading is Amazin' or should we say AMAZON! My finest Regards Knud Borum DK / EUR."

Searching for Thirty Years for this!

Knud Borum | 07/06/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This excellent album, Mad River's 2nd, appeared briefly as did the first and almost immediately became a "cutout". They were many many years ahead of themselves. The tracks are almost current today except perhaps they exhibit more creativity than is typical today. The strangest thing about this group is, when I first discovered them in 1969, my first impressions where kind of "eh - OK" But the more I listened to them, the more I was utterly blown away untill eventually they became my most favorite group of all time. There is one more unique quality they have and that is- Most bands have some sort of continuity between their first (Mad River) and their second album (Paradise Bar & Grill). Well these guys will blow you away between the first and second albums (CD's) The first one was so incredibly ACIDY with a liberal dose of SPEED thrown in!@ That one blew my mind as my mind was being blown. Then Paradise Bar & Grill comes out and WOW is this the same Group? Yes Yes and the talent shines through.Remember BOTH these albums have been UNATTAINABLE for damn near 30 YEARS. I wish I was still young enough to listen with some purple haze or something all over again. These Musicians are exceptional. I'm still waiting for(on order) Mad River- Mad River (First Album.)"